Stuck
by Eleanor Ariail
Summary: It was supposed to have been a onenight stand. One night is going to last a very long time.
1. Chapter 1

"Oh, DG. That was amazing," Glitch murmured into DG's shoulder, his body strewn across hers. DG was still catching her breath, so she merely nodded into his dark curls.

They were bundled up in DG's huge bed, in her room in the Ice Palace. The fire crackling in the corner hearth did little to take the evening chill from the room, but under their several quilts and blankets, the new lovers were quite warm enough.

Glitch wriggled a little, burrowing down further into the downy blankets and shifting some of his weight off DG.

"I wish I didn't have to leave tomorrow. Why can't the kingdom just take care of itself for once?" He pouted.

"Oh, Glitch, you have to go," she pushed his face back so she could look at him, "Mother needs you in Finaqua, just like Az needs me here."

"I know, but I just got you all to myself. I don't know when we'll see each other again," he trailed off sadly.

DG pulled him close to her again, so he couldn't see her roll her eyes a little. "We knew when we started this tonight how it would have to end," she said, trying to be sensitive. "And we'll be able to visit soon. We'll all be coming down there for the Spring Festival in a few months."

Glitch propped up on his elbows, a look of shock on his face. "That's so long! I need you, DG," he sighed and looked around, clearly taxing his half-brain. "Maybe I can just have my old office packed up and sent here, so I can decipher the notes without leaving you."

DG panicked for a moment. It wasn't that she didn't like Glitch; no, he certainly held a special place in her heart as her first and best friend since she had arrived. And the sex would be really great, as tonight had proved. It was just that she had finally found the life she was meant to be leading, and there was still so much in the OZ she hadn't seen or done. She just didn't feel like she should have to be tied to anyone so thoroughly at this point in her life.

"No, that won't work. Remember, there were all sorts of traps and locks around your office. You're the only one who has a chance of getting to everything there." She felt a guilty rush of relief as he frowned in resignation and settled down against her again.

"I guess you're right. Well, I'm making a trip back up here as soon as I can anyway. I'm sure I'll get a break in the work before long."

DG patted his back, resigned, "That'll be nice, Glitch." She really would miss him, now that she thought about it. They had become even closer over the past month. With peace in the OZ, Cain and Raw had left, but Glitch stayed behind, having no family and no home to return to. DG enjoyed having her original companion with her as she spent her days hiking and exploring the frozen northland, and spending so much time alone together had caused their friendship to flourish.

When they learned of their upcoming separation, they began to escalate their relationship. Kissing felt as natural as breathing to them, and when their last night together finally came, it was DG who insisted on sharing it with him. After all, she had reasoned, it had been quite a while since her last lover, and Glitch, well, who knew with him.

DG roused out of her thoughts, planning on asking him if he remembered being with any other women, but found that he was fast asleep, with just a little drool around his open mouth. She stifled a laugh, then wrapped her legs tighter around his and began to fall asleep herself.

Glitch awoke to the bright light of the sun reflecting off the ice outside. He lay perfectly still with his eyes shut for a moment, as he always did upon waking, so that he could collect his memories of the night before. He had woken up too many times in unpleasant situations with no idea what was going on, and he found that if he thought just a little, he could remember at least the day before.

Oh.

His eyes flew open as he remembered his current position. And how he had gotten there.

He saw that they had barely moved the entire night. DG was still firmly in his arms, and he realized with a blush that he was still firmly in her.

Never one to turn down a great opportunity, he pulled her closer to him and began kissing her face.

"Mmmm... Glitch..." she began to moan in her sleep. She opened her eyes and looked lazily into his.

"Hey there, doll," he said, trying his best to be debonair. She grinned at him for a moment, then suddenly dropped the smile and went wide-eyed.

"What time is it?" she asked in a panic, pulling the blankets away from her head and looking at the clock on her mantle. "It's eleven o'clock! You're supposed to be meeting Mother right now to leave for Finaqua!"

All thoughts of what he had been planning to do with her quickly left him. He went to hop up out of the bed, but found himself frozen midway.

"Come on, this is no time for glitching!" DG shouted, still in very close contact with him.

"I'm fine! I'm just, uh," Glitch looked down between them where their bodies were joined together. DG followed his stare.

"I'm stuck."


	2. Chapter 2

"I'm stuck!"

DG looked down in horror. "What do you mean, you're stuck? How can you be stuck?"

"I don't know, I just can't pull away from you!" Glitch was on his knees in the bed, half-heartedly tugging away from DG, who was still on her back in front of him.

"Well," she said, with a determined look on her face, "I'll just have to push you off then."

DG pulled her knees up to her chest, dug her feet into Glitch's stomach, and began pushing with all her might.

"Ooowwwww!!!!!!" He howled, beating his fists into the mattress. Finally, he grabbed her ankles and threw her legs up straight again, before he collapsed to his side, letting her legs fall down over his hips. They laid there for a moment, gasping for breath.

"You're right, you are stuck," DG panted out.

"Just, just let me think for a moment. I'll figure it out," Glitch began to run his hands through his hair, trying desperately to stimulate any little piece of his brain that might have known at some point how to dislodge his penis from a woman.

He was coming up horrifically short.

DG waited for a few minutes, then growled a little. "At least come back up here, and pull that blanket up with you... It's freezing in here!"

With only a little trouble, they repositioned themselves so that they were lying on their sides, facing each other. They had just gotten the blankets up to their waists when they heard a knock at the door.

"Deeg, are you still in there?" It was Azkadellia, her voice muffled by the heavy door. "Come on, the party will be leaving any minute now! If they ever find Glitch, that is. He's wandered off again, have you seen him?"

Glitch stared at DG, absolute panic forming in his eyes. DG shushed him with a finger on his lips, then turned her head towards the door.

"Umm, no, I've just slept in... I'll be out soon!" she yelled, trying to get her to go away.

"You sound weird, is everything okay in there?" Azkadellia asked. "I'm coming in!"

Glitch made a little squeak and dived under a blanket. DG quickly twisted the upper half of her body away from him and pulled her side of the covers up to her neck. She tried to look nonchalant as Az threw open the door and marched over to the bed. She grabbed a button-up shirt from where it was crumpled in the floor and tossed it at DG.

"Come on, get dressed! I can't believe you're still in bed today, of all days. Mother won't be back for months, and you know she wanted to spend some time with us before she-" Azkadellia's tirade was cut short as she caught sight of the man-shaped lump lying next to DG. She froze, gaping, then took half a step back toward the door. She pointed towards the bed and mouthed silently to DG, "Who is that?!"

DG stared at her with wide blue eyes as she tugged the large shirt on. "I don't know what you're talking about," she said, somehow managing to keep her voice perfectly level, "Please go away now."

Azkadellia just frowned disbelievingly at her. She took a couple of steps closer, until she could see a dark curly lock of hair and just a glint of metal between the pillow and the blanket. She raised her hand to her mouth to cover the huge grin that was forming.

Without any warning, the older princess sprung forward, landing with her knees on the edge of the bed, and tugged the heavy quilt down just a few inches to expose Glitch's face.

He made a very manly squeal of terror as his eyes met those of the woman who had had his brain removed. After a couple of wheezing breaths, he lost consciousness altogether.

DG smacked his face a little, but got no response. "Great, you just made him faint, Az!"

Azkadellia hopped off the bed and pulled a chair up next to the bed. "Wonderful!" she grinned, "Now tell me everything! It's about time you chose him!"

DG just sat there staring at her sister for a few minutes, she was so shocked at the prospect of sitting down for a 'girl chat' while still sexually attached to an unconscious man.

"Okay," she said slowly, "At least get me the extra pillows out of the closet so I can sit up."

While Azkadellia was getting them, DG wrapped her arms around Glitch's torso under his arms, and, struggling, drug him higher up in the bed so that she would be able to sit back against the headboard comfortably.

"There we go," Az said, arranging DG's pillows behind her back, "Now spill! When did you decide you wanted a husband?"

DG choked back a laugh. "A husband? What gives you that idea?"

Az's grin faltered a little. "Well, you're the one that joined with him, right? You must have decided you wanted a husband. And just think! The next generation of little royals will be coming soon!" she positively squealed.

DG chuckled fully at that. "No, no. You don't understand. This is just, uh, temporary. Just for tonight. Well, last night. He's supposed to be leaving now."

Az smiled knowingly. "But he's not, is he? You can't separate, can you?"

DG lost all traces of humor at that. "No, actually, we can't. What do you know about that?"

The first trace of a frown appeared on Az's face. "Oh, I forgot, you left before you were old enough for The Talk... You really don't know anything about sex, do you?"

"Don't be silly, of course I do. There's sex on the Other Side. I know that's where babies come from and all... It's just that I've never heard of people getting stuck together. I mean, it's never happened with any of the guys I've been with before!"

Az gasped and pulled her hand to her mouth. "You've had sex with another man? More than one other man?!"

"Just two, thank you very much," DG said, defensively, "And it's not such a big deal over there, nobody ever gets stuck for one thing!"

"Well, that doesn't happen to everybody here either, you know," Az said, still taken aback at what she was learning about the younger girl. "It's just us royalty. It's part of the magic that flows through us. It always happens the first time we choose our husband. It's supposed to ensure that there will always be offspring to take the throne. Must not have happened to you before because your magic was still blocked away within you," she said thoughtfully.

"Wait a minute, offspring? No, I'm not ready for that yet. And I'm not ready for a husband either," DG shook her head for emphasis.

"Well, you better be ready for kids if you ever want to get apart again. Conceiving a baby is the only thing that breaks the bond. And good luck telling him you don't want to settle down," she pointed to the gently snoring man by DG's side. "Ambrose was Mother's advisor, remember? It's hardly a secret how this magic works. That's the whole point of a royal honeymoon after all, to give the new couple time to get separated."

"Wait, you mean he should have known about this?" DG poked his bare chest, causing him to stir and whine a little.

"Of course he should have. Anyway, I'd better go tell Mother what's going on. I imagine she'll postpone her trip for something as big as this. There'll be a wedding to plan now, after all!" Az jumped up, giggling, and ran out the door.

DG swung her leg over Glitch's so that she was straddling him. With her mouth drawn tightly, she swung back and slapped him as hard as she could.

He lurched up suddenly and almost bumped their heads together. "Stop!" he yelled, his eyes squinted angrily, "Do I know you?"


	3. Chapter 3

"Do I know you?" Glitch asked her reproachfully.

"You'd better, you're still mid-coitus with me!" She pointed down emphatically with both hands.

He sat there for a moment, just staring at her, his eyes blinking rapidly.

"Oh, gosh, DG, I'm so sorry!" He came to himself with a jolt, and gently took her face in his hands.

She slapped his hands away from her. "Don't touch me!"

"I think it's a little late for..." he trailed off seeing her murderous expression.

"You knew. You knew this would happen!" She jabbed her finger into his ribs with every word. "You knew, because I was a princess, my magic would keep us together until you knocked me up!" She grabbed his shoulders and shook him in time with the last three words.

He locked eyes with her in shocked disbelief. "I can't even remember my own name! You expect me to remember the, the, the magical mating rituals of the members of the royal family?!"

"Yes, you should have remembered, since you're the one magically mating with me!"

They were both trembling with anger, their noses almost touching. DG finally broke the stare-off and looked down at them. She was still wearing Glitch's shirt, buttoned unevenly in her haste, and her hair was every bit as messy as his.

She snorted a little at the sight they must be. Soon, that snort became a snicker, which turned into a full giggle. Glitch was still looking at her coldly, but her mirth soon became infectious. He cracked a small smile for her, then began to chuckle as well.

As the oddness of their situation began to occur to them, their laughter escalated uncontrollably. Soon they were clutching to each other, shaking hysterically. DG pushed him gently back against the pillows and followed him, collapsing on his slender chest.

Before they could finish pulling themselves together though, they heard another knock on the door.

"You know, I've never had this many visitors before," she said to Glitch in exasperation.

"Everyone decent in there?" a deep voice said, "Well, I know you're not really, but you're under a blanket, right?"

The door cracked open a little, and Ahamo slid in, facing away from the bed.

"Sorry to bother, just thought you might be getting hungry." He crouched down and sat a tray right inside the doorway. "I brought lunch. And enough for dinner too, just in case."

He quickly stepped back into the hallway, but left the door cracked.

"I just wanted to tell you both, I know it's a weird feeling, what you're going through right now. Nobody thought to mention anything about this little tradition to me when I married your mother. Believe me, I was one scared Nebraska boy that first morning," he paused, clearly reminiscing.

"But it will turn out alright. The ancestors knew what they were doing when they came up with this method. And you two are good for each other. I'm surprised it hasn't happened earlier, actually."

"Now, DG, your mother wanted me to let you know, you can speed up the process. She said you just have to accept the truth, and embrace the possibilities."

DG interrupted him, "What is that supposed to mean?"

"I'm not sure. She said you would understand when it was time. Anyway, good luck." He started to close the door, but stuck his head back in for a moment.

"And, uh, Glitch? You hurt my little girl, and I'll personally remove the other half of your brain. Bye!" he said cheerfully, as he pulled the door shut.

"Me, hurt you?" Glitch sat up, gasping in indignation as he rubbed his hand-printed face.

DG grinned sheepishly. "I'm sorry about that," she said, kissing the offended cheek.

Glitch gave her a small frown. "You mostly just hurt my feelings. I would never try to trick you into anything like this, you know."

DG looked down and hesitated before replied softly, "I do know that. I just got really scared when Az told me I'd be pregnant soon, and getting married," she broke off, tears forming in her eyes. "But that's still no excuse to take it out on you. I know you didn't ask for this any more than I did."

"It is a surprise," Glitch smiled with his whole face, "but I don't regret it. I love you DG. And I would love to be your husband. And I will love our child so much."

He pulled her tightly into his arms. "I might not be able to teach him all that I would have liked to, but my heart's still whole, and I promise I will do everything I possibly can for both of you."

"I know you would. You'd be a great dad, Glitch. It's me that I'm worried about." She pushed him away and paused, weighing her words carefully.

"I'm just not ready for all this. I was so excited to finally be free, to do what I want." She stared out the window, a dreamy haze coming over her face. "There's a whole new world here for me, and I want more time to have it to myself."

Glitch looked at her thoughtfully, clearly hearing the rejection she was trying to ease on him. "I'm sorry you feel that way DG." Dejected, he laid back down and buried his face in a pillow.

He whispered into the feathers, "I'm sorry you don't love me."


	4. Chapter 4

He whispered into the feathers, "I'm sorry you don't love me."

DG crossed her arms around herself. Even though she hadn't heard his whisper, she knew she had hurt him.

"Glitch, I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

He laid there, ignoring whatever it was she was trying to soothe him with. Instead of listening to her, he thought of what he knew about her. He knew she was restless, he knew she had resented her Other Side parents for holding her back.

But, he realized, he also knew that she had loved them very much. Was that what was wrong? She thought being married would mean she would be just like them? Well, he thought, smiling into his pillow, he could just remind her how life with him was different. And, if he was wrong, as he knew he might be, he could always enjoy their time forced together and deal with their separation whenever it finally happened.

Having come to his conclusion, he sat up suddenly, throwing the pillow to the floor. "I'm starving! I wonder what all is on that tray?"

DG was startled at his abrupt mood swing. "Come on," she said, tapping his arm, "I think you're glitching again. Remember, we were just talking about-"

"Nope, I'm fine. Now how in the world are we going to get over there?" He threw back all the blankets, letting the cool air rush in around their legs. "I think I'll just have to carry you."

Before she could get a word in edgewise, he had scooted them to the edge of the bed and wrapped his arms around her hips. With only a small grunt, he had her up in the air, clinging to his neck for security.

"Glitch," she giggled, "Stop! I can walk!"

"Nope, too much trouble," he dismissed her summarily. He slowly staggered over towards the door, frequently pausing to heft her higher and get a better grip.

They had just gotten within a few feet of their dinner, when he seemed to lose his balance. He hopped a couple of times, and spun around once, before finally slamming into the door.

"Omph!" DG cried out, trapped between the door and Glitch. With his face so suddenly close to hers, and his breath stirring her hair, it took her a moment longer to catch her breath than it should have.

Flustered by his suddenly intense gaze, she tried to remember what they were supposed to be doing. Luckily, her stomach picked that moment to protest their fast. "Okay," she said, drawing his attention to the floor next to them, "Just bend over a little so I can stand, then we'll crouch down together and pick the tray up."

"No, I have a better idea." He bent his knees a little, so she could drop her feet to the ground. "Now, just give my your right leg."

She looked at him curiously, but began to raise her leg, he shook his head at her. "No, my right!" he said, pointing emphatically with his left hand.

DG made a little friendly growling noise, and continued to raise her right leg. "This is almost as bad as the time we fell in that frozen crevice and had to lean on each other to crawl up the side."

As she spoke fondly of their harrowing adventure, Glitch held on to her leg. After helping her stretch it as high as it could go, he limberly ducked under it and turned her around so that she could bend over easily.

"... and then the second penguin said, "At least I'm not the one dropping my feathers everywhere!" DG began laughing so hard she had to hold onto the doorknob to stay upright, and even then failed miserably.

Glitch grinned merrily, partially at their odd encounter, and partially at the lovely view he now had of DG bending over.

"But you know," she said, as she picked up the heavy, covered tray and began shuffling with him towards a small table, "I couldn't have talked them into making peace without you. I never would have thought of threatening to bust apart their egg!"

"Well, it wasn't much really. It's just that while you were trying to collect the icicles, I noticed that the egg started to melt while I was sitting on it. So I knew it must have been made of chocolate." He smiled with bashful pride as he sat down, pulling DG into his lap. She set the tray down and started to open it up.

"Oh, speaking of chocolate..." DG trailed off in awe at what greeted her beneath the silver dome. On one side, sandwiches of all varieties were cut into quarters and stacked high. But her eye had been caught by the luscious display on the other side. There was a huge bowl of warm dark chocolate, surrounded by exotic fruit, some of which she had never even seen before.

Glitch craned his head around her shoulder to see. "Ooh, that's not dama-fruit is it?" He picked up a piece of yellow fruit and sniffed it carefully. "No, just a regular peach. We wouldn't want to go invisible, that would sure make things more awkward than they already are!"

DG watched as he reached around her for the bowl of chocolate. "What's a dama-fruit?" she asked, trying to distract herself from his long fingers dipping and swirling the peach slice in the smooth chocolate.

"Oh, just an old legend. Some say it still grows wild in the dark corners of the Realm of the Unwanted. We can go search for it one day. If you'd like." He finally got enough chocolate on the fruit to satisfy him.

"That would be fun. I wonder if-" She was cut off as he slid the bite straight into her mouth. "Mm, oh, that's perfect!" She leaned back fully against his chest, savoring the contrast of the bittersweet chocolate and the tart peach. She was so engrossed in the sensation, she didn't even notice that his fingers were still on her lips, until she pulled one into her mouth to suck the chocolate from it.

She released his index finger, slightly embarrassed, but he just grinned behind her. He used his clean hand to pull her hair away from the side of her face, and dabbed some chocolate onto her cheek with his thumb.

She turned her head towards him in surprise, and was even more surprised when his tongue darted out to lick the dot off her face.

Smiling as an idea came to her, she held a finger up in front of his face. His eyes never left it as she lowered it into the bowl, and brought it, covered in chocolate, up to her neck. She smeared it above her collarbone and raised her eyebrows at him invitingly.

He didn't hesitate to begin sucking it off her, and as she lolled her head back against his shoulder, she pulled his still-messy thumb to her mouth and licked it clean, along with her own chocolate-covered finger.

He continued to suck and nibble along her neck and ear, and, once his hands were freed, he began unbuttoning the wrinkled shirt DG was wearing. As he slid his hands down her body, she began to writhe in his lap.

Unable to restrain himself any longer, he wrapped his arms around her waist and carried her over to the bed. He only made it far enough for her to bend over the edge of the bed, resting on her elbows. Her hands clenched into the blankets as he made love to her more passionately, more intensely, than he had the night before. He realized now that this might be the last chance he ever got to be with her. He wanted to make the best of it, so that the memory could last him a lifetime, if needed.

She climaxed forcefully, nearly bringing him over the edge, but he restrained himself, knowing he still wanted more from her. They awkwardly clambered into the bed together, and he nestled her in his arms. He continued to rock with her, this time more slowly, leisurely even, savoring every sensation. He memorized the way her hips pressed against him, how her skin burned under his fingers, how her hair tasted as it caught in his mouth, how she sighed when she felt him shudder in release.

As he began to lose awareness, he prayed, to whatever gods would listen, that his battered brain would be able to hold these memories forever.

It was evening when Glitch came to consciousness with his eyes still shut. For the first time since losing his brain, he woke up knowing exactly where he was, snuggled up comfortably against DG, as he had been in one way or another for the last 24 hours.

But as he opened his eyes, he found that he was wrong again. He was lying by himself at the edge of the bed, looking at the brilliantly red glow of the double sunset, feeling cold and very much alone.

He jumped out of bed suddenly, realizing what it meant that they were apart now. When he saw that DG was laying just on the opposite side of the bed, he dashed around to her, nearly losing his footing as he rounded the corners.

He knelt down reverently by her side, looking at her peaceful sleeping face. Carefully, so as not to wake her, he pulled the blanket down and stared at her stomach in awe. Even with half a brain, he knew that he wouldn't be able to tell any difference yet, but he still reached out and tentatively stroked her skin.

"What're you doin'?" she murmured, just waking up. He froze, staring at her guiltily. She opened her eyes wide as reality set in. She put her hand over his on her stomach.

This was it, the moment he would learn his fate. Had she decided he was different? Realized that he wouldn't hold her back? He had tried so hard to help her think of times they had leaned on each other, and of future adventures they could have. Had it been enough?

Her eyebrows furrowed as she looked at him in accusation. No, he thought, she hadn't bought it. He panicked, thinking only of how he could make this better for her, how he could at least spare her any more trouble.

"DG, I'm sorry. I would never want to hurt you, or hold you back in any way. After the baby is born, I'll take him and we'll go away. We won't bother you again, ever. You can have the life you want and we'll stay out of your way." He nodded his head sincerely as he made fervent promises to her, even though it was killing him to say it.

DG just looked at him in shock. For the first time, she really thought about what life would be with him by her side. Her heart wrenched as she pictured a little boy, with curly brown hair and bright blue eyes, sitting with Glitch, eating dinner all by themselves in an empty home. Glitch holding him, rocking him to sleep, putting him to bed, and, with tears in his eyes, getting in his own lonely bed.

And where would she be? All alone too. Doing what she had always wanted to, but what joy would there be in it with no one to share it with? She realized suddenly that Glitch was more than her best friend, he was like an extension of her own body and mind. She could no more be without him than she could be without air to breath, or water to drink.

"No," she hesitated, "No, don't. I... That's not what I want." He was looking at her in confusion, still too heartbroken to be hopeful.

She tried to explain, "I was wrong. I thought I knew what I wanted, but it wouldn't be the same; it would be worthless. I mean, I could have the world, and really, I do here, but without you with me, I don't really have anything, do I?"

He still looked at her blankly.

"Glitch," she said, looking him in the eye and taking his chin between her fingers, "I need you. I love you."

She watched him as a smile bloomed slowly, erupting finally into a face-splitting grin as her words sunk in.

She held her arms wide open in invitation.

"I knew you'd say that," he said smugly, as he climbed up into the bed with her.

"Oh you did?" she said, and began tickling his stomach. Batting her hands away, he grinned back devilishly. "You know, your mother would probably like to start planning that wedding now."

She rolled her eyes in mock exasperation. "We could always pretend we were stuck together for a little while longer..." she trailed off mischievously, her fingers wandering lower.

He just smiled back and replied, "I'd happily be stuck with you anytime."

* * *

A/N: All done!! Thanks to everyone who's been reading! And a special thanks to by beta, gogogidget! Also, a huge thanks to everyone who has been reviewing!

For more fun events in the life of DG and Glitch, please check out my story "Life Would Be" (though it starts out differently, you could pick it up in chapter 4 and pretend it is a sequel to this).

And speaking of sequels... There may be a darker spin-off from this story coming in the future. What if DG had taken Glitch up on his offer to take the baby and leave her alone? We'll see!!!


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